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Games you've completed in one session

If someone were to ask me, "Would you say that you're addicted to video games?", I would say, "Well, I do tend to immerse myself in long gameplay sessions, but I'm not addicted to games in the sense that I can happily refrain from gaming for months at a time." Also, some of the saves on my memory cards are as old as 5 years, and then they're many other games I own and have not got round to playing.

Still... there are times when I don't feel like doing anything besides playing one game and nothing else, and the longer I play, the more involved I feel with the game's world, especially when it revolves around a certain character.

Which brings me to the main question of this thread:

Which video games have you completed in one session?

Now, just to be clear: In this thread, a valid session is considered to be the act of playing a video game's main "story" mode from start to finish without breaks. A break is considered to be any period in which the player has either abandoned the video game, suspended the video game, or paused the video game to do something other than play the video game. While the video game is in any of those states, such acts considered as a break include (but are not limited to):

> Engaging in some other recreational activity, including some other video game
> Answering the door (However, answering the door for no more than 5 minutes is permitted (e.g. to collect a parcel or something...))
> Using a telecommunication device such as a cellphone
> Switching the input on the TV or monitor
> Directly or remotely talking to someone
> And any other act that means the game is either abandoned, suspended or paused except for:

> Taking a toilet break
> Taking a nourishment break (such as a tea break, snack break, meal break etc.)
> For plasma TV owners: Pausing/saving the game and switching the input merely to clear image retention
> Pausing the game to select or read any content related to the video game (such as an inventory)

The game must also include a save option; games (and emulations of which) that do not allow saves will not be counted.

Please do not post completed games for which you have used cheat codes (or equivelents).

Here's my list, sorted from longest to shortest session:

Metroid Prime [Gamecube]: Game time: 3hr 57min (speedrun with 100% items). Actual time: around 18 hours. Difficulty: NormalPikmin [Gamecube]: Game time: 9 of 30 days (speedrun with all ship parts). Actual time: around 12 hours (Many game days were replayed for the sake of gathering as many ship parts in the shortest time as possible)Resident Evil [PlayStation]: Actual time: approximately 6 hours. Difficulty: Normal

Re: Games you've completed in one session

Are we assuming its like a speedrun attempt and not an out-of-the-box, "damn that was too easy" play through?

Rather than going through a long list of retro/old school games that had no save (so you had to play non-stop), I'll mention my most memorable ones.
Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past- I heard Nintendo Power once requested pics of game files beaten with no deaths and no saves (since saving even once scarred the record). The entry period past, but I wanted to give this a shot. I scheduled one Saturday to start in the morning and played all day. That worm boss in the 3rd gem dungeon was insane. Came close to dieing a few times throughout, but I finished it 12 hours later with ALL items and hearts.

Casper (PS1)- I liked how this game played out around the beginning, but the PlayStation we were borrowing had no memory card. I wandered about the entire mansion one long day trying to beat the game. It was difficult figuring out what item was needed where and for which boss fight with the other ghosts.

Super Metroid- Lots of people have done this and I'm on that list too. I looked over all the maps and plotted direct paths and skip any unnecessary rooms. I'm not sure, but I believe my best time was something like 2:15 at 100% and saved the extras.

DOOM (SNES)- Start to finish. Yup, even with its one-sided bitmap enemies and lacking the effects of the PC version, ON TOP OF the fact they didn't include a save file feature, I wanted to clear this game on an epic note. Things slowed down a bit for me when I got into Inferno and a level or two had me going in circles. That was a grueling yet awesome day.

Re: Games you've completed in one session

.. Skyrim? Seriously? it took me almost a month to clear all story and the majority of all misc missions (reoccuring / radiant quest missions not included)

There are actually very few games I have completed in one sitting - not because I have a short attention span, but because most games these days are just far too long for me to comfortably play from start to end in one go. Also, what with living with parents for most of my life, having to pause to shout at someone/go downstairs to wash dishes/go downstairs to eat food/go shower/go do chores/go downstairs because 'your father is going to sleep' all got in the way of me being able to consistently play a game for more than three/four hours at once.

So ... really, it's the following:

All Sega Genesis Sonic games that I've owned, except for Sonic Spinball.

I know that most of them lack save features. S3 and S&K has a save option so those count. Sonic 1, Sonic 2 and S&K could count as their releases on Xbox Live give them save slots through the emulator.

I think I completed Portal 1 in one sitting - it was a very short game and only took me 2 hours.

There's nothing else that really comes to mind. I didn't even finish Blur's single-player in one sitting - I walked out about halfway through the Career mode in order to go walk to the shop to get soda. :/

Re: Games you've completed in one session

Originally Posted by ARKphoenix

None. I like to sit and enjoy my games I don't like to rush. Plus I'm pretty busy these days so I don't have time to finish a game in one sitting.

In general, my approach is the same with games; I prefer to explore everything so as to get involved with the gaming environment as much as possible. Only after I played a game in depth and enough times will I consider going for single-session completions or speedruns.

Originally Posted by CapnJack

Are we assuming its like a speedrun attempt and not an out-of-the-box, "damn that was too easy" play through?

It's up to you how you go about completing your game, just so long as it's done in one session. You can short-cut your way to the goal if you like (as in a speedrun) or go for collecting everything (uhm... a longplay perhaps...), or even combine both (like me); any of those preferences is acceptable as far as I'm concerned since they would demand an additional level of endurance or focus in gaming.

Originally Posted by Gilgamesh

These two are kind of stupid in my opinion:

It takes me no less than 2 seconds to answer the door and I can play while I talk in the phone. If it's a text, I probably won't reply since it's not that important.

I included those rules because there are those who might do such things for more than a few seconds, and while abandoning their games altogether--in which case, they would not be counted as games completed in one session as far as I'm concerned (or rather, if I were in their shoes, I wouldn't consider the completion of any game with such liberties as something to be proud of...). Also, I have taken into account that a "session" by definition varies from gamer to gamer (Obviously it's a debatable area while there are no official equivalent rules kicking around on the Internet), so it's unlikely that everyone's going to agree with my rules--even so, I think they are fairly lenient and reasonable--and as "stupid" as some may sound, they are there to prevent expoits (such as someone answering the door to their best friend, and then engaging a 2+hour conversation while not playing their game...). In any case, I thought I made it clear in my first post that such acts would be tolerated so long as they weren't preventing the person from playing the game. However, taking into account what you said, while I shan't be removing those two particular rules you picked up on, I shall clarify them (and others) further so as to reduce ambiguity as to what counts as one session here.

Re: Games you've completed in one session

The single player campaign of all the Call of Duty series.
The single player campaign on Bad Company.
Bulletstorm.
Age of Empires 2.
Medal of Honour: Pacific Assault.
Torchlight.
Mount and Blade.
Mount and Blade: Warband.
Dishonored
Both Portals.
Binding of Isaac.
Bioshock 2.
Both Crysis.

Though i cant really say i do speedruns. I just sit down and play the games...

“The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. because its only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. stone crumbles. wood rots. people, well, they die. but things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on.” - Chuck Palahniuk

Re: Games you've completed in one session

Originally Posted by CapnJack

Ugh, yeah. every time I pick up X6 I cuss when I even see Mijinion. Have you danced with X7 or X8 yet?

I didn't like X7 much. I've only finished that game the one time, then couldn't stand doing it again in one session. Besides the way over the top things like Flame Hyenard, I didn't like the general gameplay at all. X6 is also a very crazy game to me at times, but it still has a certain charm to it that I love.

I've heard good things about X8 from friends though, but never got around to getting that one, I always forget.

Re: Games you've completed in one session

Originally Posted by Hokuten

Are you serious? I have 30 hours in With Fire and Sword and I'm nowhere near finishing it. I do die a lot, but that's still impressive!

Haven't player With Fire and Sword yet but yeah, it really isn't very hard. And i play it with Floris Mod Pack which adds a bit more difficulty. Still it was one of those cheap "Mercenary cavalry only" runs. When i play with proper faction recruits and a balanced army (read: no lame cavalry only tactics) i take a lot more time.

“The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. because its only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. stone crumbles. wood rots. people, well, they die. but things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on.” - Chuck Palahniuk